SuperGlide hitch sets benchmark for short-box fifth-wheel trailering

August 03, 2007|By JEFF JOHNSTON, Motor Matters

Short-box pickup trucks are wildly popular with all kinds of pickup buyers, including Recreational Vehicle owners. While a short-box truck looks good and is easier to park due to its somewhat shorter wheelbase, it presents some problems when towing a fifth-wheel trailer. Due to the restricted hitch-to-cab spacing there's not enough room in a tight turn for clearance between the trailer and truck cab. This can result in expensive damage if the driver's not paying attention. The Pullrite division of Pulliam Enterprises (www.pullrite.com, 574-259-1520) has a terrific solution to that problem. Pullrite has a product called the SuperGlide hitch. It includes a mechanism that causes the hitch to move rearward, away from the cab, when the truck makes a turn while towing. SuperGlides are available in sizes rated from 12,000 to 24,000 pounds, so virtually all of today's fifth-wheel RVs can be accommodated. Numerous other fifth-wheel hitch manufacturers carry similar products, and they work well, but they all call for some driver input to function. Some are strictly manual in that the driver releases a locking lever, moves the truck ahead, and the hitch head shifts back and latches into place to provide turning clearance. Afterward, the procedure is reversed so the hitch is back in its proper towing position over the axle. Other hitch models are motorized, but still require the driver to operate the mechanism. In both cases the driver has to remember to make the changes before and after entering a tight-turn situation, such as stopping for fuel or backing into a snug campsite. This is where the SuperGlide is different in that it's fully automatic. As the truck begins to turn, the head begins to slide back towards the aft end of the rails. When the truck reaches a full 90-degree turn, relative to the trailer, the head has moved back about 14 inches from its starting position. As the truck straightens out, the head moves back forward to its standard towing position. The process is effortless and can't be forgotten by a distracted driver. Our test SuperGlide, a 14,000-pound rated model, was installed in a Toyota Tundra short-bed pickup. There was about 38 inches of space between the hitch pin latch and the cab wall, which is clearly not enough to allow turning an 8-foot-wide trailer. We towed a Northwood brand Arctic Fox model 235A trailer fit INTERNET WHEELS Motor Matters photo This Austin-Healy is a sleek, 13-foot, 1.5-inch-long 1960 sports car. One moment sets course for college man to acquire Austin-Healey By VERN PARKER Motor Matters Of his time as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, one day in 1958 stands out in Jim Sasser's memory. "I was walking to my European History class when I saw a sky blue Austin-Healey parked on campus," he recalled, confessing, "I was late for class that day." He saw the car only twice after that initial encounter on campus. After graduating and then going to law school, Sasser was determined to acquire a car like the one he had seen years before. He found a four-year-old red 1957 Austin-Healey in Louisville. "It was kind of worn out," he said. But on the plus side, it was an Austin-Healey. He drove the car daily for several years, and then sold it when he married his wife, Mary. After serving in the U.S. Senate and as U.S. Ambassador to China, he once more began looking for a suitable Austin-Healey. The search led him to a recently restored cream and black 1960 Austin-Healey in Tennessee. In the autumn of 2006 on a business trip to Tennessee, Sasser stopped by to inspect the car. After a brief test-drive, he said, "I could tell it was a tight car." He then became the car's fourth owner. The sleek, 13-foot, 1.5-inch-long 1960 sports car made the trip to his home in Washington, D.C. on the back of a truck. "I didn't have the confidence in the car that I do now," Sasser says. The two mirrors mounted at the peak of the front fenders were removed because vibration made them virtually useless when the 178-cubic-inch, six-cylinder, 124-horsepower engine was running. A four-blade fan keeps the temperature of the coolant under control, although it throws off an enormous amount of heat. "There is a total lack of insulation in the car," Sasser says. A pair of S.U. HD6 carburetors delivers fuel to the engine from a 12-gallon gasoline tank. Handling the 2,380-pound Austin-Healey on its 91-inch wheelbase is remarkably nimble. It is low slung with a ground clearance of 4 3/8 inches (by comparison the diameter of a softball is 4.5 inches). Sasser reports that his 1960 roadster can easily keep up with modern traffic because the four-speed manual transmission is equipped with overdrive on the top two gears. The three-spoke banjo-style steering wheel keeps the 5.90x15-inch tires pointed in the right direction. The tires are mounted on the optional chrome-plated 72-spoke wire wheels with knock off hubs. The steering wheel is mounted on a telescopic steering column in an attempt to make the driver comfortable. At the hub of the steering wheel near the horn button is a small vertical lever that can be turned left or right to operate the directional signals. The switch is conveniently self-canceling. Inside the 5-foot, 1-inch high sports car, the 120-mph speedometer is twined with a 6,000 rpm tachometer. In the days before electronic speed limiters, the tachometer red lines at 5,300 rpm. At the rear of the car the metal bodywork around the taillights is sculpted gracefully. In the diminutive trunk is the horizontally mounted spare tire, and in an effort at equalizing weight distribution, the battery is mounted there as well. Sasser is quick to point out accessories on his car, such as the badge bar in front of the grille, the windscreen washer and the heater. As a true roadster, Sasser's 1960 Austin-Healey has no side windows. If you're out driving with the top down and thunderclouds are threatening, Sasser has a solution. "Find a bridge to park under," he says. For your car to become the subject of the Classic Classics column, send a photo (frontal 3/4 view) plus brief details and phone number to Vern Parker, 2221 Abbotsford Drive, Vienna, VA 22181. Only photos of good quality will be considered.